It’s time for another blog.  It’s not that I haven’t been inspired but I’ve been taking a number of classes that have been enjoyable, but they have taken time.  One is a figure drawing class in The Fort Lauderdale Figure Drawing School, which is part of Nova Southeastern University.  The instructor is a wonderful, classically-trained artist.  I’m learning a tremendous amount in each class each week the figure looks better and I can see places where improvement is needed.

I’m also taking a water color class from another wonderful instruction at the local high school as part of Palm Beach Community Educator Program.  The class is in an open style so each student can take maximum advantage of the teacher regardless of their skill level.

Another thing I’ve done is applied to the Delray Art League.  I had to bring in three paintings to be evaluated and was accepted as a member.   About the same time, I also joined the Palm Beach watercolor society.   That’s another great group.

Today, I’m spending part of the day at The Green Cay Nature Center in Delray Beach.  Now that the Florida weather has broken, it’s a beautiful clear day.

t was a lovely five mile bicycle trip from my home, and now I’m standing in a recreated hut used by the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes.  The roof is covered with cabbage palm fronds.  This kind of building was in use when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500.  The style was popular because it could be taken down and moved when invaders moved through the area.  It’s also a particularly sturdy construction since this particular hut has survived not one, but two, hurricanes in the past few years.

As anyone who has seen my body of work knows, I’m inspired by nature, and this is the perfect place for me to sit, paints in hand.  Right now, now I’m watching a flock of ducks fighting over some food and mulling how I can capture the incredible dynamics of the conflict in with is essentially a static medium.   I just wish I had the eye of Charles Thévenin in his La prise de la Bastille or George Bellows, who did the classic A Stag at Sharkey’.

Sadly, the recent mini-drought has reduced what is normally an impressive expanse of water to a number of smaller ponds and I suspect the conflict I’m observing will soon be the rule rather than the exception.    Still, it’s a wonderfully active ecosystem, turtles and frogs sunning themselves on logs and a number of alligators arrayed on the shore, mouths wide open, to allow the commensal animals to clean his teeth.   After the fray with the ducks, it’s nice that my last image is cooperation.